fa-oi-  iaX  h-,'.'.-  NV.X 


/JY/ 


THE  WEST  INDIES 

JS  SEEN  BT  A 

Christian  Statesnnan 


A  brief  review  of  the  economic,  social, 
and  religious  situation  in  the  West 
Indies,  by  William  Oxley  Thompson, 
D.D.,  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly,  1926-1927. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/westindiesasseenOOthom 


THE  WEST  INDIES  AS  SEEN  BY  A 
CHRISTIAN  STATESMAN 


An  Englishman  once  remarked  to  me  that  he  always  had  been 
^glad  that  England  was  an  island.  This  required  the  English 
people,  as  he  said,  to  think  in  world  terms.  They  were  bound  to 
measure  themselves  by  the  service  they  rendered  to  others.  It  was 
obvious  that  the  island  itself  could  not  live  and  sustain  a  pro¬ 
gressive  civilization  unless  it  made  desirable  and  profitable  con¬ 
tacts  with  the  outlying  world.  This  remark  is  probably  the  key 
to  situations  in  England  other  than  the  economic  or  the  indus¬ 
trial.  It  has,  doubtless,  affected  her  international  relations  and, 
to  a  considerable  degree,  her  colonial  policy. 

There  was  a  day,  however,  when  this  was  not  true.  All  na¬ 
tions  seemed  to  proceed  upon  the  theory  of  exploitation.  Among 
these,  Spain  should  not  be  overlooked.  For  four  hundred  years, 
she  had  complete  colonial  control  over  the  West  Indies,  Haiti 
excepted ;  likewise,  these  islands  enjoyed  the  theory  of  a  single 
church.  Denominational  zeal  and  rivalry  had  no  place  in  their 
program.  During  a  considerable  portion  of  this  time,  if  not  for 
all  of  it,  there  was  a  sufficient  coordination  of  both  Church  and 
State  to  make  possible  joint  enterprises.  I  was  told,  for  example, 
by  intelligent  citizens  that  churches  were  built  just  as  bridges 
were,  that  is  to  say,  out  of  public  revenues.  Every  Protestant 

3 


church  in  the  world  has  been  built  by  voluntary  contributions — 
a  most  significant  difference. 

As  one  travels  through  these  islands,  abundant  evidences  are 
seen  of  the  commanding  place  the  Spanish  occupied  in  the  con¬ 
trol  and  direction  of  the  activities  of  the  people.  A  great  fort, 
such  as  we  see  at  Havana,  represented  in  those  days  an  enormous 
undertaking.  Labor,  materials  and  construction  were  of  the  most 
permanent  sort.  They  are  without  value  at  the  present.  These 
were  associated  with  Spanish  castles,  the  homes  of  the  “grandees,” 
as  they  are  sometimes  called.  The  remnants  of  the  original  road 
through  these  islands  show  skill  in  civil  engineering  and  no  end 
of  available  labor.  One  would  readily  suppose  that  a  people  with 
such  capacity,  such  financial  resources,  such  engineering  ability 
would  soon  have  discovered  a  wiser  and  more  modern  policy  in 
these  islands  than  was  ever  developed. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  islands  are  filled  with  populations 
quite  as  large  as  the  methods  of  cultivation  can  support.  In  fact, 
an  island  like  Porto  Rico  recognizes  that  it  is  overpopulated. 
The  industrial  opportunity  is  not  sufficient  to  maintain  a  larger 
population  and  there  is  little  prospect  that  a  diversity  of  modern 
industry  will  ever  be  sufficient  to  warrant  any  considerable  in¬ 
crease  in  the  population.  In  Cuba,  the  situation  is  somewhat 
better  because  the  “Pearl  of  the  Antilles”  is  the  richest  in  pro¬ 
ductive  power,  resources  and  available  wealth.  Haiti  represents 
today  the  deepest  poverty  and  probably  gives  promise  of  the 
least  attractive  immediate  future.  Whether  these  hookworm- 
ridden,  lethargic  people,  a  mingling  of  Spanish  and  African 
blood,  with  medieval  French  civilization,  can  be  transformed 
into  enterprising,  ambitious  toilers  for  trade  remains  to  be  seen. 
The  investment  of  millions  by  others  than  the  people  themselves 

4 


will  be  necessary  before  even  transportation  will  be  possible.  The 
splendid  highway  from  Port  au  Prince  to  Santo  Domingo  is  the 
first  effort  toward  this  end.  Conditions  are  better  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  island  where  the  Dominican  Republic  holds  gov¬ 
ernmental  sway;  here  Spanish  traditions  prevail.  This  is  a  nat¬ 
urally  rich  area,  profuse  in  its  production,  but  handicapped  by 
the  long  period  of  slavery  and  suppression. 

Porto  Rico,  in  the  fortunes  of  the  Spanish-American  war, 
came  to  the  United  States  and  is  now  a  detached  portion  of  our 
territory.  Technically,  it  is  an  unorganized  territory.  Certain 
officials  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  furnish 
our  contact  with  this  beautiful  and  attractive  island.  The  inaug¬ 
uration  of  the  American  public  school  system  was  a  most  sig¬ 
nificant  beginning.  The  establishment  of  certain  political  ma¬ 
chinery  gave  Porto  Rico  at  least  the  forms  of  government  pro¬ 
vided  for  in  our  constitution.  It  is  reported,  however,  that  these 
Porto  Rican  people,  ambitious  for  self-government,  neglect  the 
ballot  even  more  than  the  people  in  the  States  with  longer  ex¬ 
perience.  The  result  is  that  a  supervising  government  seems  a 
necessity.  In  Cuba,  where  an  independent  republic  was  another 
outcome  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  we  have  a  struggle  to¬ 
ward  self-realization  and  self-government,  with  the  United 
States  Government  lying  to  the  North  ready  to  intervene  under 
the  Platt  Amendment,  in  case  necessity  should  arise.  This  is  a 
sort  of  insurance  against  the  emergencies  of  inexperience. 

There  are,  however,  certain  conditions  common  to  all  these 
islands  which  may  be  regarded  as  the  legitimate  result  of  the 
four  centuries  of  exploitation  both  by  State  and  Church.  There 
are  the  extremes  of  wealth  and  poverty.  There  are  the  abundant 
provisions  for  the  necessities  and  conveniences  of  the  rich,  with 

5 


an  almost  total  lack  of  provision  for  the  needs  of  the  poor.  The 
theory  seems  to  have  obtained  that  the  servant  was  for  the  con¬ 
venience  of  the  master.  The  poor  could  exercise  the  grace  of 
gratitude  for  small  favors  presumably  thankfully  received.  Own¬ 
ership  of  the  soil  naturally  drifted  into  the  hands  of  the  more 
favored  class.  The  direction  of  energies  was  always  within  their 
control.  The  Church  seems  to  have  been  no  better  than  the 
State.  So  far  as  these  people  were  served  at  all  in  the  matters 
of  religion,  it  was  through  an  imported  priesthood,  schooled  in 
Spanish  traditions,  with  no  definite  plan  for  the  progress  of  the 
people.  In  too  many  cases,  this  priesthood  was  a  temporary,  pass¬ 
ing  experience,  returning  to  the  native  country  at  their  own 
pleasure,  or  when  the  accumulation  of  funds  assured  them  of  a 
more  congenial,  ecclesiastical  fellowship  in  their  native  country. 
Under  these  conditions,  the  neglect  of  the  people  does  not  de¬ 
scribe  the  situation.  The  situation,  therefore.  In  a  land  like 
these  islands,  where  Nature  is  lavish  with  her  fruits  and  prod¬ 
ucts,  affords  an  easy  opportunity  for  the  combination  of  luxury 
and  poverty,  of  virtue  and  vice,  and  of  a  moral  situation  intol¬ 
erable  to  any  mind  having  a  just  conception  either  of  the  Church 
or  State.  Both  these  agencies  lacked  the  outlook  of  public  wel¬ 
fare  or  of  a  sound  theory  of  either  religion  or  politics. 

As  a  consequence,  we  find  the  great  majority,  particularly  in 
the  rural  districts,  exposed  to  the  evils  of  hookworm,  tuberculosis, 
and  diseases  due  to  the  vices  of  men.  The  entailments  of  these 
diseases  upon  a  people,  anaemic  both  by  disease  and  poverty,  ren¬ 
der  any  public  progress  impossible  until  a  thorough  reorganiza¬ 
tion  takes  place  at  the  base  of  society.  The  sanitary  conditions, 
or  rather  the  lack  of  sanitary  conditions,  the  lack  of  local  water 
supply,  and  the  limited  food  supply,  together  with  an  enervating 

6 


climate,  make  the  situation  less  hopeful  than  one  might  desire. 
This  is  fundamentally  the  reason  for  providing,  in  the  very  first 
instance,  both  cleanliness  and  godliness. 

The  American  occupation  which  came  after  the  Spanish-Amer- 
ican  war  provided  the  first  opportunity  for  an  organized  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  Protestant  forces  to  join  with  the  United 
States  Government  in  doing  the  essential,  foundation  things  prec¬ 
edent  to  all  progress.  Spain  had  never  developed  the  initiative  or 
individual  powers  of  the  people.  They  knew  nothing  of  the  free¬ 
dom  so  essential  to  political  integrity  and  even  the  Church  had 
treated  the  people  simply  as  beneficiaries.  It  was,  in  a  sense,  a 
pay-as-you-go  policy.  If  they  did  not  have  the  price,  they  did  not 
pay.  The  advance  in  prices  oftentimes  rendered  a  home  on  earth 
and  a  home  in  Heaven  alike  an  impossibility.  The  natural  result 
is  that  illegitimacy  competed  with  legitimacy.  The  moral  confu¬ 
sion  arising  from  such  unauthorized  mingling  of  the  sexes  led 
quite  naturally  to  a  degeneration  of  all  social  idealism.  From  the 
religious  point  of  view,  the  Church  was  a  method  of  escape 
rather  than  an  opportunity  for  a  better  life. 

The  Church,  like  the  State,  during  these  four  centuries  failed 
to  develop  the  nativ^e  talent  of  public  or  professional  service.  It 
never  seems  to  have  occurred  to  the  Church  that  a  native  priest¬ 
hood  would  be  an  asset  to  the  Church.  The  patronizing  policy 
of  a  foreign  priesthood  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  adequate 
to  the  situation.  However,  when  the  Protestant  forces  entered, 
the  policy  was  immediately  changed.  They  introduced  as  the 
very  basis  of  society  the  theory  of  individual  development.  We 
are  quite  apt  to  think  of  this  as  the  legitimate  outcome  of  the 
Christian  point  of  view.  It  appears  not  to  have  been  so  with  our 
Catholic  brethren.  The  Protestant  point  of  view  was,  and  is, 

7 


the  development  of  the  individual.  This  means,  of  course,  the 
moral  responsibility  of  every  individual  to  God.  It  means  his 
equality  with  his  own  brother  at  the  throne  of  grace;  it  means 
his  own  initiative  in  spiritual  living;  it  means  the  mastery  of  his 
own  conscience,  since  God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience ;  it 
means  a  certain  freedom,  not  only  spiritually,  but  socially  and 
otherwise.  What  may  be  termed  a  Protestant  view  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  makes  for  strong  individuals  while  urging  with  tremend¬ 
ous  emphasis  the  obligations  of  brotherly  kindliness  and  the  op¬ 
portunity  for  organized  cooperation.  The  mutual  burden-bearing 
which  fulfills  the  law  of  Christ  is  an  ever-present  opportunity. 
The  gospel  of  helpfulness  is  consistent  only  with  respect  for  the 
integrity  of  the  individual. 

As  a  result  of  this  new  theory  in  these  islands,  the  Protestant 
forces  began  the  erection  of  churches,  the  organization  of  the 
people,  the  fundamental  teaching  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  in 
other  schools  to  a  limited  degree  or  as  a  temporary  measure  until 
the  government  forces  should  make  adequate  provision  and,  in 
general,  the  development  of  the  social  and  moral  ideals  common 
to  the  Protestant  forces  in  the  United  States. 

As  a  fruit  of  these  endeavors,  one  can  now  see  in  every  Prot¬ 
estant  center  an  improved  condition  as  to  health,  as  to  social 
ideals,  as  to  an  appreciation  of  the  integrity  of  the  home,  the 
unity  of  the  family,  not  to  mention  the  maintenance  of  standards 
of  personal  virtue.  The  release  of  new  energy  through  the  agency 
of  the  Protestant  churches  has  found  an  expression  in  spiritual, 
moral,  and  industrial  idealism  quite  in  harmony  with  the  finest 
spirit  of  progress  among  Protestant  peoples  anywhere  on  the 
earth.  This  revelation  demonstrates  our  opportunity.  If  we  are 
in  earnest  in  our  desire  to  see  these  people  come  forward  and  take 


8 


their  places  in  a  modern  civilization,  the  development  of  char¬ 
acter  and  of  idealism  lies  at  the  very  basis  of  all  our  activities. 
The  danger  is,  as  always,  from  the  commercialization  of  our 
ideals  either  in  politics  or  industry,  or  both.  The  missionary 
spirit  in  the  Church  is  the  key  to  progress  and  the  solution  of 
the  problems  of  ignorance,  dependency  and  disease.  This  spir¬ 
itual  impulse  may  find  expression  through  hospital  service  or  a 
school  service  administered  by  the  State  or  under  the  forms  of 
secular  government.  The  beneficient  results,  however,  should 
still  be  credited  to  the  original  missionary  and  Christian  impulse 
with  the  upward  and  forward  look.  The  Protestant  churches, 
therefore,  are  entitled  to  know  that  their  representatives  have 
been  laying  foundations,  have  been  planting  fruit-bearing  trees, 
and  have  been  doing  a  lot  of  other  things  that  have  borne  no 
evil  fruits.  The  stimulus  has  been  so  strong  that  everywhere  in 
Porto  Rico  today  Protestantism  bears  a  good  name.  This  is  true 
also  in  Cuba  and  in  other  places  in  the  West  Indies. 

A  brief  generation  of  experience  has  demonstrated  clearly  that 
the  supreme  need  of  these  people  was  spiritual  illumination.  The 
bread  and  butter  philosophy  of  some  current  economics  has  been 
set  aside.  We  have  demonstrated  that  the  gospel  of  Christ  can 
be  preached  to  the  poor  with  power  and  efficiency.  It  was  the 
gospel  first  and  an  improved  social  order  afterward.  This  makes 
it  entirely  clear  that  the  fundamental  need  in  a  mission  field  is 
the  cross  of  Christ.  The  preacher  should  have  his  church  in 
order  to  bring  this  gospel  clearly  and  forcibly  to  the  people.  The 
philosophy  that  would  begin  with  a  mowing  machine  or  a  tractor 
does  not  meet  the  situation.  The  greatest  asset  in  the  West  In¬ 
dies  today  is  a  competent,  conscientious  and  clear-headed  mis¬ 
sionary  of  Christ. 


9 


The  Protestant  churches  have  done  fairly  well  in  the  erection 
of  buildings.  They  have  not  done  so  well  as  one  might  desire.  It 
is  not  improper  to  keep  in  mind  that  in  our  missionary  endeavor 
the  church  building  representing  Protestanism,  while  not  com¬ 
peting  with  cathedrals,  should,  at  the  same  time,  be  suggestive  of 
reverence,  of  respect  for  religion,  of  self-respect  among  the  peo¬ 
ple,  and  of  such  strength  as  would  give  the  consciousness  of  stabil¬ 
ity  to  the  people.  The  worst  possible  extravagance  for  the  Protest¬ 
ant  churches  would  be  a  carelessly  constructed  church  building. 
The  appeal,  therefore,  that  comes  from  such  a  group  as  the 
Union  Church  in  Havana  should  meet  a  cordial  response  from 
individual  Christian  people  abundantly  able  to  honor  God  and 
serve  their  generation  in  assisting  to  construct  a  suitable  house 
of  worship  for  the  English-speaking  people,  many  of  whom  are 
only  temporarily  resident.  The  situation  in  San  Juan  is  some¬ 
what  different,  but  essentially  the  same.  If  it  is  not  true  at  pres¬ 
ent,  it  soon  will  be  true  that  a  similar  situation  Atdll  be  developed 
in  the  city  centers  throughout  the  West  Indies.  Furthermore, 
throughout  the  rural  district,  which  includes,  of  course,  villages 
and  small  cities,  the  need  for  the  church  building  is  quite  im¬ 
perative,  tbe  ability  locally  to  provide  such  buildings  is  markedly 
less.  This  situation  and  the  call  for  a  capital  account  should  in 
no  way  interfere  with  our  gifts  for  ordinary  current  expenses  and 
the  further  development  of  Protestant  opportunities. 

The  second  charactertistic  feature  of  the  Protestant  movement 
has  been  the  development  of  a  native  ministry.  It  was  my  pleas¬ 
ure  to  meet  and  greet  a  large  number  of  these  men  as  it  is  now 
my  pleasure  to  testify  to  their  efficiency.  One  sees  everywhere 
the  evidence  of  Christian  evangelism  and  pastoral  care.  They 
have  developed  organizations  reasonably  adequate  to  the  needs 

10 


of  the  local  church.  They  are  steadily  learning  the  lesson  of  co¬ 
operation  between  churches  and  the  value  of  organized  Christi¬ 
anity.  They  are,  in  a  way,  the  pioneer  men  of  the  West  Indies. 
Whatever  of  supervision  has  been  provided  from  the  United 
States  has  always  been  consistent  with  the  greatest  local  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  native  ministry.  Much  could  be  said  in  appreciation 
of  and  in  praise  of,  the  representatives  of  Protestantism  who 
have  given  years  of  service  in  these  islands.  The  attitude  of  the 
people  toward  the  church  and  their  happiness  in  the  service  is 
most  gratifying. 

Mention  should  be  made  perhaps  of  the  effort  originally  made 
by  the  women  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  the  erection  of 
hospitals  and  the  provision  of  medical  service  so  much  needed 
throughout  the  West  Indies.  The  Presbyterian  Hospital  at  San 
Juan  is  perhaps  the  outstanding  institution  among  such  endeav¬ 
ors.  Here  one  observes  the  presence  of  native  Porto  Rican  girls 
trained  as  professional  nurses;  also  native  Porto  Rican  young 
men  as  internes:  the  Protestant  forces  brought  a  new  con¬ 
ception  of  the  service  of  the  gospel  to  these  islands.  Beautiful 
for  location,  well-appointed  for  professional  service,  with  a 
clinic  accommodating  an  average  of  one  thousand  persons  per 
week,  the  hospital  needs  an  ample  and  suitable  home  for  nurses. 
Some  generous  soul  is  much  needed  in  the  interests  of  suffering 
humanity  and  a  highly  efficient  service  to  meet  this  need. 

One  should  not  overlook  the  fact  that  an  Evangelical  Theo¬ 
logical  Seminary  for  the  education  and  preparation  of  young 
men  for  the  ministry  and  for  other  forms  of  Christian  service  is 
a  commanding  force  for  Protestantism  among  these  people.  The 
privilege  of  addressing  a  group  of  about  seventy-five  men  pre¬ 
paring  for  the  ministry  was  highly  appreciated.  A  conference 

11 


showed  clearly  the  moral  enthusiasm  and  spiritual  earnestness  of 
these  young  men.  We  are  in  the  way  of  developing  a  competent 
native  ministry  that  in  the  future  will  be  able  to  carry  on 
throughout  these  islands.  In  other  words,  under  present  policies, 
we  are  engaged  in  a  temporary  rather  than  an  age-long  service. 
Unless  we  shall  fail  of  our  opportunity,  there  will  be  in  the  West 
Indies  a  native  church  equipped  with  native  ministry  and  op¬ 
erated  through  native  intelligence.  This  is  the  great  goal  of  the 
Protestant  Church.  No  fanciful  theories  of  organized  church 
union  need  occupy  our  minds  for  the  present.  The  substantial 
unity,  however,  of  all  Protestant  forces  in  these  islands  and  the 
spirit  of  cooperation  already  well  developed  give  great  promise 
for  the  future. 


BOARD  OF  NATIONAL  MISSIONS 
OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


4-27-I-4M 


